Short Summary

Instructions on how to draw a face, and illustration of the basics of animation.

Description

Stop frame animation is used to demonstrate drawing and cartoon techniques. Film begins with a C/U of an autograph book. Above the book is written: "A peep in the autograph book shows us how many people try to draw." The cover is turned and we see a drawing of a ship. More pages are turned to show a cartoon drawing of a policeman with the words "A Fair Cop" underneath and the words "but cannot!" underneath. (Implication being that whoever drew these pictures cannot draw very well.) Pages are turned to show a drawing of a cat ("An A "mew"sing sketch") and a woman ("Hell hath no fury like a woman's corns").

The Pathe artist gives viewers a few hints on how to draw a face. "As in a Pudding the foundation is an EGG." C/U of an egg shape being drawn on a piece of paper. Surprise No. 1 is how low the Eye comes within the egg.. This is shown with the help of a compass. The extreme simplicity of the eye form is shown. The mouth is simpler still. The nose comes next "very difficult this!" jokes the caption. This is just two dots. The hair is then drawn around the egg shape. "Try these when you get home", says Joe Noble our Artist." Various sketches are made in C/U (presumably through stop frame animation as they just appear as if by magic). The last character drawn moves his mouth and the words "Red Fire Please" appear above his head. There is a two frame instruction to "Print Red" so perhaps the next section was tinted red.

We are then shown "how a cartoon begins to live" Several little bears are drawn. "Rapid substitution of each drawing for its neighbour gives the effect of movement... Faster and faster, until the eye cannot cope with the sudden changes." The bears seem to run along. There then follows a sequence where the bear repeatedly jumps over the artist's pencil. He eventually jumps on top of the pencil and then does a somersault into an ink pot. The screen is covered with black ink and film ends with a signature in the autograph book "Yours Truly Joe Noble."